Improvement in brick-machines



YJAcoB noNSEIEE, oF PTrs'EUEe, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOE To AND JAMES DALZELL, 0E SAME PLAGE.'

PATENT@ QEEICE.

HIM SELF IMPROVEMENTIN BRICK-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 177,615, dated May 23, 1876; application filed 4 April 15, 1876. Y

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, JACOB BoNsI-IIRE, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful .Improvement in Brick-Machines and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,elear, and exact description thereof, ref- -erence being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in

whichf Figure lis an elevation of a machine embodying myimprovement, the hopper beingv on the line .fr w, showing the cam for operating the cam-follower.V Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line y y, showing the mold and springtop of'mold-follower.

Like letters refer to like they occur.`

My invention relates to the constructionof brick-machines of that class in which the mold parts wherever is filled from 4a hopper, and a cutoi' is employed to sever the claybetween the mold and hopper. n

Heretofore, in this class of brick-machines, the mold has been held up rigidly at the time of the operation of the cut-off, and as a result the cut face of the brick was irregular and the brick often defective, owing to the dragging ofthe cut-off and the lifting or forcing of the clay from the mold.

The object of my invention is to so support the mold that it shall not impede the operation of the cut-olf, but yield sufficiently to permit the passage of the cutter,`whilepreserving the relations of mold and bottom plate necessary for working the machine to the greatest advantage.

. I will now proceed to'desc'ribe my invention,

so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may make and usethe same.

A indicates the bed of a brickmachineand B the bottom plate of the hopper, supported upon posts C. b b are ports in the bottom plate of the hopper,correspondin g to the molds, and beveled, as shown, to facilitate the feeding and coinpacting ofthe clay. D are the moldways, supported on suitable cross-pieces E,

which may be fastened to thepost C of the bottom plate.- These moldways are slotted at points directly under the ports bV b of the bottom plate for the reception -K of mold-followers F, which may be loosely suspended by yokes f, or in other suitable manner, and are provided with two rollers, g g, that track with the cam-face of the half-circle cam-plate G. H is ashaft, stepped at h, passing centrally of the hopper, and provided with a series of arms of the usual form, (not Shown,) for working the clay withinthe hopper, and with. a sweep, z', for forcing the plastic clay through the ports b.. Within the hopper, and surroundiugthe shaft, is a conical casing, I, which serves to direct the clay into ports b, 'and into .the path of sweep t', and also prevents the clay from impeding the revolution of shaft H. Work- .ing close against the underside of bottom vplate B, in suitable guides b1, and between the bottom plate and themolds, is a slide or cut-off, K, having a central slot, k, for the passage of the shaft H, and two slots, b2 b2, corresponding in form and size to the ports b b of the bottom plate B. This cut-olic Klis reciprocated by a cam, lo', secured to shaft H, and the slots b2 b2 of the slide are at such distance apart as to alternately open and close the portsb b, so that one port is always closed as the other is opened. G is a ean1plate secured to shaft H, and provided with the camsurfaces e and el e2, which engagewithrollers g g 'of the mold-follower F. This cam and the rollers of the follower F must be relatively anged r'oller is in the lead the cam-surfaces e1 e2V will be in the lead on the cam-plate G, instead of as shown in the drawing. F is the vmold-follower suspended in the ways, as before specified.V In order that the mold may be held llrmly to the bottom plate of the hopper or against the cut-off during the time the clay is being forced into the mold, and with a yielding pressure at the time the cut-olf is operating, I make a false top or platen, fl, to the follower, and provide springs f2, which are compressed, so as to allow the platen to rest p upon the mold-follower F, while the cams are forcing up the follower andthe mold is being y lled, but react when the cams cease to sustain the follower, so as to hold the mold up with a yielding pressure, and preserve the relation of the mold to the bottom plate without impeding` the action of the cut-off. M represents molds ofthe usual pattern, and provided with the usual bottom board. N is a sweep or cam-arm secured to the shaft H, and preferably provided with an anti-friction roller,

n. This arm forces the mold from beneath: the ports when the cut-olf has finished its:

1 exact devices shown.

operation.

The operation of these devices is as follows; The hopper having been supplied with suitably moistened clay, the mass is worked and forced down by the ordinary inclined arms or blade until it comes within the path of the sweep, which forces a -portion of the plastic, clay through the ports, the bottom of the hopper thus filling the mold. The cam which actuates the mold-follower is so connected to the shaft that it presses up the follower and holds the mold up rigidly during the time the sweep is thus filling the mold. Atv the instant the cams e e1 e2 release the mold-follower, the cut-oli` is actuated by its cam-arm and severs the clay between the mold and bottom plate, the mold being still held up by the spring-platen. As soon as the operation of the cut-o is completed, the follower-cam passes from beneath the follower, permitting the mold to recede slightly from the bottom plate, so as to be out of contact therewith, `when the end of sweep or cam-arm N strikes the mold and forces it along the moldways, .making room for the next mold, which may then be introduced either by hand or machinery, as preferred.

'In the drawing and description the moldfollowers, ports, 85e., are shown and described in duplicate; but itis evident that three, four, or more, may be arranged around the shaft without further direction.

The spring or relief platen is equallyr applicable to all brick or similar machinery wherein a cut-oli' works between a mold and hopper or bottom plate, and I do not wish to be understood las limiting it to combination with the Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire 'to secure by Letters Pat- JACOB .BONSHIRE Witnesses:

JAs. DALZELL, JAMES I. KAY. 

